Beer: Reviews & Ratings

Reviews by d0ggnate:

An interesting offering, having been brewed with oysters. I didn't ordered it, but made sure I tried it before someone else finished it off.

A: Dark brown/black with a circle of eternal head rimming the glass.S: Mild coffee tones, with hint of roasted malt.T: Tangy malt, brown sugar and coffee noted.M: Smooth and mild.D: This really missed the point for me. Could have been a bit more full-bodied. I found no distiction from adding oyster. (446 characters)

More User Reviews:

Very dark brown in color, nearly black, with a one finger tan head that lasts.

The aroma is like a typical good sweet stout, roasty with baker’s chocolate, with a slight briny note to it.

On the flavor, you again get just a hint of brininess and no real oyster. I think they should’ve thrown more of the suckers in there, but whatever, it’s still good. Roasty with coffee and dark chocolate.

Medium-bodied and fairly dry for a sweet stout with average carbonation level.

On tap at the brewery on 25-Mar-2007. Listed on the chalk board as 6.1% ABV, 35 IBUs.

My first true oyster stout, and the first time I've seen this one since frequenting 21st Amendment in 2005.

From the e-mail notice that brought me in to try it:

>> In the Brewery, our new brewer, Jesse, has been busy creating some great new beers. Look for the latest release of Oyster Point Stout, brewed with over 30 lbs of Hog Island oyster shells. Many of you may know the area of Oyster Point on your way down the Peninsula or to the San Francisco Airport, but back in the late 1800s the area was know for it's oyster beds, where the San Francisco mud was great for fattening the oyster. Adding the shells and brine in the boil kettle gives this robust stout a subtle saltiness and the calcium from the shells imparts a fuller flavor. <<

Pours a very dark brown, not quite black. Thin head is light tan - sort of a mess of very lightly-packed, multi-sized bubbles that dissipate quickly.

Smell is fundamentally dry stout - roasted malt, bitter coffee - but maybe add a tiny bit of salt. But that brine dominates the flavor - more than just power of suggestion - an unintegrated saltiness overshadows what otherwise might be a perfectly respectable dry stout. Very little sweetness to be found underneath - mostly dry malt, some coffee. Texture is medium, but the salty prickliness sticks around before, during, and after everything else. Even after the roast and coffee have finished, the salt lingers. It's a long time before you want to take the next drink.

I'm glad they're brewing this - true oyster stouts are few and far between - and I would certainly have another glass some time, but I won't miss it when this year's vanishes from the tap. (1,770 characters)

At the brewpub they serve their watermelon wheat with a slice of watermelon - I was half hoping the oyster stout would be garnished in a similar way but, alas, it was not. Anyone approaching this beer with curiosity will not find any clues just looking at it. The beer's black body, ruby edges and tan head look very much like any ordinary stout.

Inspection of the aroma is not likely to turn up anything unusual either. Seafood is, for my money, among the stinkiest of things on this planet but apparently dousing it in beer can neutralize that; I have come across at least one oyster stout that smelled perceptibly briny, but notes of the salty sea broth are extremely faint (if at all perceived) in this one.

There may very well be some briny ocean character in this beer, but picking up on it above such strong notes of roasted malt and coffee is like trying to see them through the other side of a brick wall. Even then, I can't be sure it's not just the power of suggestion. Picking up on the salinity may very well just depend on how keen you are about finding it.

While there is a certain indefinable quality to this stout there are also all the standard ones too: a smoky, roasty flavour profile that looks far harder to drink than it actually is, one that is straightforward yet satisfying and surprisingly suited to multiple rounds. And its light soy-like character is balanced by toffee sweetness and predictable mineral notes.

There's a reason no one really regards 'oyster stout' as a category unto its self: despite such a peculiar and distinct brewing process, more often than not there is markedly little to distinguish it from ordinary stouts. That being said, this beer is no doubt unique and, should you find yourself in San Francisco, one you should definitely make a point to try. (1,854 characters)

Despite the name, I tasted no oysters, oyster shells, calcium, or saltiness in this beer. Tasted like a conventional stout to me, albeit with a bit of a noteworthy alcohol finish on the back end. Head was non existent, didn't really have any lacing. Not much aroma, really. Taste was pretty good, and fresh, as it should be from the tap. (337 characters)